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This week’s new batch of DIY singles from emerging indie rock artists and bands includes a bit of rock and roll from the U.A.E; folk-pop from Germany; indie/alt. country/roots rock from NYC, and also from the Big Apple, OLD_SPORT and punk rock from Manchester, New Hampshire. The full playlist stream is at the end of this post.
Please share and spread around if you like our coverage of indie, DIY, and multi-genre alt. rock music.
Vandalye – Dubai, United Arab Emirates Unknown Neighbour – Berlin, Germany Papa Satch – New York, New York Drastically Reduced – Manchester, New Hampshire OLD_SPORT – New York, New York
The Dubai-based indie rock/alt.folk/country band Vandalye blew us away in the cafe with the band’s latest single and video, “The Ride.”
This track has a bunch of uplifting, feel-good energy at a time when many of us need it. The accompanying video will be something that many people can relate to because it involves a paintball fight.
“The video shows us as a band getting destroyed by 2,000 paintballs and our heads being shaved,” says frontman Lucas McCone, whose brother, Thomas and Scott Attew make up the trio.
“As the lyrics reflect on failure and how we as humans have to be okay with that sometimes,” he continues, “we believed that this kind of video would be suitable.”
It’s not entirely clear what a paintball fight has to do with the song since it seems a bit of a mismatch from the music to the theme of the video.
The single is the lead track from the album, Cigarettes & Minarets, which dropped yesterday.
The band’s musical influences include Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Bears Den. Vandalye has opened for many artists, most notably Elton John (really), Lionel Richie, and Snow Patrol. The band formed in 2012.
https://www.facebook.com/vandalyeband/
Unknown Neighbour – “Home”
The mood chills on this next single from German musician Unknown Neighbour identifies the subject matter so beautifully and signals the likely emotional response of listeners. “Home” has a warmth, an intimacy, and a sense of being sheltered.
Marked by acoustic guitar melodies, together with harmonica and banjo, the instrumentation infuses energy and a down-home love, providing a strong foundation for the track. In the background, electric guitar notes elevate the track while light piano keys add an extra bit of buoyancy.
Unknown Neighbour is the musical moniker of German singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sascha Zemke.
“I wrote this song a while ago and I think it’s my most intimate one,” Zemke says. “The lyrics kind of summarize my music – my songs, my message, my artist name – but also me as a person.”
He adds that writing, producing and performing “Home” has been “a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s a pile of hope for those who always had a room but no home.“
Papa Satch – “Drivin’ Time”
The New York band Papa Satch belt it out on the new track, “Drivin’ Time.” The catchy track is the advance single off of the upcoming March release for the album Rebound.
The song’s relatable storyline, warm vocals, and tuneful melodies are driven by indie rock and alt. country guitar instrumentation and flare.
“It’s a song I wrote before Steve Ronsen (vocalist) and I met,” says guitarist Bob Sachnoff. “It started out as an acoustic rock song, but as we progressed, it morphed into a song with a decidedly country-rock feel.”
“We got to a point where we decided that the song needed something more,” he adds.
The guys brought on keyboardist John Zych to fill in some gaps, adding a chorus as well. “The chorus and the bridge exploded at the appropriate times.”
The album was recorded at the A Room Recording Studio. Ronsen and Sachnoff used Pro-Tools to track the song and Guitar Rig for the electric guitar and bass parts. Rosen has been a member of bands like Spoof, Black Horizon, Blank Stare, and Mercy Hit.
Papa Satch has been awarded the Golden Viking Award for Best Acoustic Rock Artist. Sachnoff has previously played with Blade Thompson (bass player for Seal) and has worked with producer Casey Schmitt (Danger Danger).
Ronsen has performed with artists like Eddie Money and Charlie Daniels. Both are Long Island born and bred, but come with a multidimensional background. They released their debut album in 2007.
Drastically Reduced – “Drive Thru”
Based in the seat of national elections, the city of Manchester, New Hampshire is also the home base for the band Drastically Reduced , a studio project formed by Steven Spenard, the ex-guitarist for the band G.G. Allin and the Jabbers. He teams up now with King Richard (drums).
The band’s new single is about a guy with a miserable job that takes a co-worker out to lunch daily, which always puts a smile on his face. “It’s semi auto-biographical,” according to Spenard.
“I have a miserable job,” he continues, “and one time driving on the freeway my girlfriend was doing things that almost made me crash. This song dedicated to her.” Spenard also recorded the guitars, bass, and vocals for the track.
The new studio project was founded in early 2018. “We are DIY home recording musicians from a bygone era,” the band say.
“We like music that sounds raw and real and is not ‘polished and processed,’ with a live feel and sounds like vinyl and analog,” he remarks, adding that they like to mix genres, including ‘old school’ punk rock; cowpunk; garage; industrial and classic rock.
OLD_SPORT – “Lightning Strikes My Spine”
OLD_SPORT is an indie rock band formed in Los Angeles a few years back, but now call New York City their homebase.
The new music video, “Lightning Strikes My Spine,” from the Midnite Vibeline Sessions, is the band first drop from their fresh E.P.
The Midnite Vibeline Session was produced by Steve Kille of the band Dead Meadow. OLD_SPORT is a hodgepodge of actors and musicians that after musician and frontman Nick Vergara needed help with the soundtrack to his award-winning indie flick about the band called Elsewhere.
In addition to Vergara, the band members include Brian Teague Williams (vocals/keys); Michael Maio (guitar/bass); Keith Roenke (drums), and Andrew Gaul (saxophone).
The band’s influences include The E Street Band, Arcade Fire, Spoon, Alabama Shakes, Nirvana and The Strokes. OLD_SPORT has opened for bands like The Happy Fits, Dead Poet Society, and Oh He Dead.
Featured for the first time here on IRC is the exciting DIY surf punk duo The Bundy Bunch from Kopervik, Norway.
With a brand new debut album, Belushi Speedball, the rock duo of Markus Matland and Ole Marius Saltvik is gaining visibility ever so slightly thanks to tracks like the album’s title song.
The track is a lo-fi ripper with a booming percussive vibe, catchy melodies, and jangling guitars.
As some may have imagined, the album’s title is a reference to the 1982 drug overdose of original SNL cast member, musician, and comedian John Belushi.
“Yes, the track is inspired by The Blues Brothers legend,” the duo explains, “and is a tribute of the brilliant man who was John Belushi.”
While it’s not entirely clear how much of a tribute it is to someone’s life to highlight the sad way they died (‘speedball’), the duo adds: “We were fascinated by how much of a jolly person, and spreader of positivity he was, yet how much he really was struggling under the surface.”
‘Speedball’ refers to the combination of heroin and cocaine that Belushi was later confirmed to have had in his bloodstream when he passed away.
The duo has been friends since childhood. Therefore, it was not a giant leap that, together with their love for the same music, that the pair would eventually form a band.
The Bundy Bunch’s musical influences include Sam Cooke, Surf Curse, Fidlar, Mike Krol, Ty Segall, and Dick Dale. That’s quite a range on the spectrum of music.
